Education: Bachelor’s degree, Virginia Commonwealth University; law degree, University of Richmond
Family: I am married to the most incredible husband ever, and we have two awesome teenagers.
Career mentors: I have been so fortunate throughout my legal career that it is not possible for me to list all of my career mentors within the maximum word count. Since my time as a law student, there have been so many amazing practitioners and judges who have consistently supported, encouraged and inspired me.
Most recent book read: “10 Seconds of Insane Courage: How to Unlock Your Courage to Unleash Your Potential,” by Garrett Gravesen
Your dream client: A person that needs my help and appreciates my service
You’ve spoken and written about remote court hearings and remote practice. Do you think it’s here to stay? How has it affected your work? I strongly believe (and hope) that remote practice is here to stay. The ability to meet with clients and appear in court remotely have been game changers for my practice. My clients also benefit from being able to receive the help they need more efficiently and in a manner that is less disruptive to their daily schedules.
What is the biggest current challenge for bankruptcy lawyers? Bankruptcy filings have declined significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to decreased revenue for bankruptcy practitioners and made it difficult for them to continue to operate as they have previously.
Saving lives, feeding the hungry and helping those most in need of aid, these Virginians make the commonwealth a better place through their passion, devotion and sacrifice.
Photo by Will Schermerhorn
Donna Fortier CEO and founder, Mobile Hope Leesburg
Donna Fortier was working at Inova Loudoun Hospital in 2011 as director of community affairs when she learned there were no programs geared toward helping homeless children in the community. She founded Mobile Hope, and the nonprofit became independent of Inova in 2014.
She started with one donated bus that served parts of Loudoun County. That’s developed into a fleet of five vehicles that bring help to families in need throughout several Northern Virginia counties, plus Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland. Mobile Hope served as many as 350,000 people during the pandemic.
Fortier initially wondered how many homeless children she would find in one of the country’s wealthiest counties when she first learned of the problem. “Every year it exponentially continued to grow,” she says.
Photo by Mark Rhodes
Joan Brock Philanthropist Virginia Beach
One of the state’s most prominent philanthropists, Joan Brock worked for decades at Dollar Tree Inc., the Fortune 500 discount retail chain co-founded by her late husband, Macon Brock Jr. This year, Joan Brock’s $34 million gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art made headlines, but she says just as close to her heart is the Brock Classroom, an outdoor learning space run by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The class teaches Virginia Beach public school students to catch fish and crabs in order to assess the health of the Lynnhaven River. “My husband and I always liked [to support] things that were educational,” Brock says. “Lots of things pull at your heartstrings and they all matter, and we were more interested in education and the betterment of our community.”
Sharon Goodwyn Chair, Hampton Roads Community Foundation Board; employment attorney, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Norfolk
When Sharon Goodwyn isn’t practicing employment law at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, she volunteers on nonprofit boards around Hampton Roads. This year, she became the first African American chair of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Remarking on that distinction, she says, “I just think it reflects the community foundation’s vision.” The foundation, she points out, does more than provide scholarships. It funds studies, acts as a convener to solve regional issues and helps with economic competitiveness. “The reach is so broad, and I have learned so much about the community and [its] needs. I feel privileged to be able to assist larger organizations and smaller nonprofits.” Goodwyn has been married for 37 years to S. Bernard Goodwyn, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Samantha Kuhn Executive director, JK Community Farm Purcellville
Samantha Kuhn studied at the University of Tennessee, where she also worked at a community farm. She brought the idea home after graduation, and in 2018, the organic JK Community Farm was started by JK Moving Services, the company owned by her father, Chuck Kuhn, who also is known for buying Northern Virginia property for conservation easements.
Samantha Kuhn runs the nonprofit side of the organization, which has as many as 4,700 volunteers. Pre-pandemic, the farm was growing on about 10 acres; that’s expanded to 25. It donated about 230,000 pounds of fresh produce to food banks throughout the region last year. The farm is also focusing on its clientele and food education.
“We’ve really restructured the way that we look at what we’re growing and who we’re growing it for,” Kuhn says.
Richard Luong Director of institutional advancement, Rising for Justice Alexandria
A William & Mary and New York Law School graduate, Richard Luong in 2021 joined Rising for Justice, a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal assistance to Washington, D.C., residents who are often on the verge of being evicted. He previously worked in resource development for the International Medical Corps. He and his wife, Alissa, (and their dog, Fife) recently moved from Norfolk to Alexandria, but Luong is still a board member for the CAN Foundation, which supports the Newport News-based Contemporary Arts Network. The son of two Vietnamese immigrants, he is also project director of Vietnamese Boat People, an effort to map and connect former refugees and immigrants. “We hope we can rekindle relationships where people might have crossed paths when they were in Vietnam,” he says.
Christine Ross Founder and CEO, Aid Another Virginia Beach
Christine Ross has had to go to bat for her son Ethan, who’s 10 and has autism, many times — like when he started getting interested in baseball around age 5 and Ross couldn’t find a team for children with special needs. In 2017, Ross partnered with Great Neck Baseball League to create an inclusive team they dubbed the Champions. “That’s when I realized that there was a need for EVERYTHING,” Ross says.
She wanted Ethan and other people with disabilities to have opportunities to have fun, so in 2018 Ross founded Aid Another, a nonprofit that offers recreational and educational programs for people with special needs and their families. This fall, Aid Another organized events such as weekly adaptive dance classes, a trunk or treat, and dance club meetings for adults with disabilities. Ross also launched a podcast, “Hoops off: the autism fight.”
“I didn’t think I was equipped to do this,” she says, “but I didn’t really have a choice.”
Dr. Lisa Uherick Pediatric emergency medical director and director of well-being for emergency services, Carilion Clinic; associate professor, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Roanoke
Not long after COVID-19 patients began filling Southwest Virginia emergency rooms, Dr. Lisa Uherick, Carilion’s pediatric emergency medical director, noticed the strain on emergency room physicians and staff members.
“Everybody’s safety felt shaky, and people were working really hard to figure out how to care for people in the pandemic,” she says.
In response, Uherick developed “Healthy People Heal People,” a well-being program for the health system’s emergency team. Its supportive measures range from simple inspirational posters to more complex peer support groups and trainings. Uherick also sends periodic emails to share resources or relate patient success stories.
Little by little, she believes, the program is creating a culture “where people know we care about them as humans.”
Stanislas Vilgrain Chairman, Cuisine Solutions Inc. Sterling
In March, Cuisine Solutions Chairman Stanislas Vilgrain personally led a convoy delivering truckloads of food to Ukraine from his Sterling-based sous vide foods manufacturing business.
The war, Vilgrain says, serves as a reminder that freedom isn’t free. “I was very
proud of the Ukrainians showing the rest of Europe [that] you stand up to bullies like Putin,” he says.
A native of France, Vilgrain has lived in the United States since 1984. In June, Cuisine Solutions announced a $250 million investment from Bain Capital LP to support its growth.
Vilgrain said in October that he was making plans to donate another food shipment to Ukraine in the coming weeks. “I think the winter is going to be quite tough,” he says.
They might be new to their positions, but they bring decades of experience and new vantage points to the table. Here’s a sampling of Virginians — some fresh faces, others familiar — who have recently taken on significant new roles.
Kelsey Backe Foundation director, Norfolk Tourism Foundation Norfolk
A fourth-generation Hampton Roads native, Kelsey Backe can’t go to the grocery store without running into half a dozen family members. She was born and raised in Virginia Beach and now lives and works in Norfolk. After serving in various roles in the Hampton Roads arts community, including for The Hurrah Players, Zeiders American Dream Theater, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Virginia Opera Association, she landed in February at the Norfolk Tourism Foundation, an adjunct agency to VisitNorfolk, the city’s marketing organization. The nonprofit provides support to the tourism industry via research, workforce development, customer service and education. There, she’s able to combine many of the skills from her previous roles to help the foundation fulfill its mission of supporting hospitality workers and tourism through actions such as economic impact studies, regional branding initiatives and reports analyzing visitor spending trends.
Earl Barnes Corporate vice president and general counsel, Sentara Healthcare Norfolk
Chicago native Earl Barnes has seen both sides of the legal world in health care: on the firm side as outside counsel and now in-house at Sentara, where he started in June. “Working for an organization and being their chief lawyer is very satisfying,” Barnes says. In the next year, the University of Michigan Law School alum hopes to nearly double Sentara’s legal team, which currently has eight attorneys. He’s not the only new face in executive leadership at Sentara; earlier this year, Dennis Matheis, who previously led Sentara Health Plans, took over as the health system’s president and CEO. “It’s exciting to have a new leader in place,” says Barnes, who enjoys spending time at car shows outside of work.
Kate Bates President and CEO, Arlington Chamber of Commerce;chair, Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Arlington
When the world shut down during the pandemic in 2020, Kate Bates leaned on the members of the Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (VACCE).
Bates, who has led the Arlington Chamber of Commerce since 2014, began holding regular conference calls with professionals she knew through VACCE, brainstorming about everything from Paycheck Protection Program loans to how to handle virtual events.
And so, when VACCE tapped Bates to be its chair from July 2022 to June 2023, she happily stepped up. “I saw throughout the pandemic how that peer network was just so valuable,” she says.
While Bates stays busy with VACCE and her main role of assisting the 700 or so businesses that belong to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, she does make time for an occasional Washington Capitals game.
Brandon Carter Artistic director and actor, American Shakespeare Center Staunton
Brandon Carter expected to be the fourth generation of his family in the Northern Neck to work as a fisherman. That changed in high school, though, when a teacher told Carter that he had to read “Julius Caesar.” He found he didn’t understand every word, but there was something about the musicality of Shakespeare’s language that reminded him of sea shanties. “That drew me in,” says Carter, who went on to earn an MFA in theater from Penn State in 2014.
After graduation, Carter worked as an artistic associate and actor with the Classical Theatre of Harlem. He joined the American Shakespeare Center in 2018. In January, he became the first Black artistic director of the ASC. His appointment follows a tumultuous time for the ASC due to the pandemic and internal squabbles. “My company needed me,” Carter says.
Kathleen Carter Senior regional manager logistics, Amazon Logistics/Amazon.com Inc Norfolk
Kathleen Carter is responsible for getting about 100,000 packages per day to Amazon.com Inc. customers in Hampton Roads. The 31-year-old new mom has climbed the corporate ranks of Amazon from shift manager to senior regional manager since joining the e-commerce company in 2017. “I think really every day is different and every day is a new challenge and thing to adapt to,” she says. The leaders on her level are predominantly male. “Now that I’m in a regional space, it’s more important for me to be an example for the other female managers,” she says. She knows she now has more to balance with a new baby. “A lot of my promotions and path is from me being consistent in my work and not giving up.”
Caley Edgerly President and CEO, Sonny Merryman Inc. Lynchburg
“One of our core values is every rider of our vehicles is someone’s family member,” says Caley Edgerly, who spent 10 years — six as president and CEO — at Thomas Built Buses and more at its parent company, Daimler Trucks North America LLC, before taking over leadership of bus dealership Sonny Merryman in August 2021. He recalls that a Daimler board member from Germany told him over dinner in 2016 to invest in electric buses. Thomas Built Buses developed prototypes over three years. “That’s been a pretty cool part of the transition because I was a part of the development with the engineering team, and now I’m much … closer to the customers actually operating these buses,” he says. In 2023, Sonny Merryman will deliver more than 1,000 vehicles, at least 50 of which will be electric.
Mike Lutes Richmond market president, Bon Secours Richmond
Mike Lutes joined Bon Secours in October to oversee all Richmond market operations, including seven hospitals. Since starting his new role, he’s been visiting hospitals in the region, meeting associates, medical staff and volunteers. Lutes says he was driven to Bon Secours because it’s a mission-driven organization. One positive outcome of the pandemic for the health care industry, he says, has been the acceptance and proliferation of virtual medicine. In response to a September New York Times story about Bon Secours profiting from a federal prescription drug discount program for hospitals in low-income communities, Lutes says he is “deeply connected to the ministry’s mission and looks forward to working collaboratively and transparently to meet the community’s needs.” Previously, Lutes worked for Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he oversaw five hospitals.
Miguel Román Senior director and chief scientist of climate and environment, Leidos Reston
Miguel Román decided to head to the private sector after observing the U.S. government’s response in 2017 to the devastation Hurricane Maria wrought in his native Puerto Rico. “It really opened my eyes about the need for industry to be more involved in climate change activities,” Román says.
At Leidos, where he began working in February, Román “leads efforts to ensure that what’s photographed in space is translated accurately by federal agencies, weather forecasters and researchers.” He is especially invested in using science to illustrate the disproportionate hardships experienced by underserved communities following major disasters.
In his previous position at NASA, Román directed staff who generated long-term climate data records from satellites. Even now, he continues to do some work at NASA on retainer.
Robert Sheets General manager, Carvana Co. Chesterfield County
Robert Sheets graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, spent six years in the Army and has lived 24 years in Chesterfield County. He’s no stranger to manufacturing, having worked in that industry for around 25 years for companies such as Honeywell, Alfa Level and Mazda, but just started with Fortune 500 used car online retailer Carvana in July 2021. He now runs Carvana’s new 191,000-square-foot inspection center in Chesterfield, which held a ribbon cutting in September and expects to have 400 employees by the end of 2022. “It’s a challenge to grow the business, to be part of something that is still growing and expanding, and help set the culture and develop the processes,” Sheets says. “I found it really rewarding.”
Over the past several months, there’s been a bit of a buzz about the direction of the global economy. In conversation, many business leaders will express deep concerns about inflation and the onset of recession. Yet, when asked about their financial performance, most all of them say, “Business is going great!”
Within these conversations lies an obvious disconnect between economic expectations and individual business results. Why is it that we think things are getting worse when they’re actually getting better? Perhaps it’s the long-overheated stock market, coupled with an instinctual bit of defensive self-preservation.
Much of what one reads about the economy or corporate earnings is grounded in comparisons with year-over-year results. However, in my experience, last year’s numbers say equally as much about last year as they do about this one. What kind of year was last year? Was it great? Or, at best, was it just a rebuilding year from an underperforming baseline of pandemic conditions?
For the most part, reports of price gouging and runaway corporate profits are overstated. To be certain, inflationary pressures are leading to higher prices, but simply comparing this year’s prices with the previous year’s vastly oversimplifies the conversation.
Bottom-line improvements are a combination of both price and volume variances. After coming through two-and-a-half years of a pandemic-induced recession with severe supply chain disruptions, most businesses are just getting back to normal or what’s often called “the new normal” of sales volume. It’s been a while since supply and demand were actually anywhere near equilibrium.
At the same time, most companies are continuing to benefit from pandemic-induced cost-reduction measures. It’s no wonder that inflationary price increases are falling quickly to the bottom line. Simply put, business is better.
A couple of quarters of economic contraction with no true recession, followed by a better quarter. A couple of months of rising prices, followed by slower increases. Near full employment, resulting in difficulty in recruiting and hiring. All the while, profits for many companies are higher. Compared with the outlook a couple years ago, we should definitely be grateful for the current economic conditions.
Meanwhile, along with the new normal is what one might call the “new networking.” Almost three years of Zooming has left many of us Zoomed out. Fortunately, in-person business events are starting to make a comeback — it’s just a bit different now. After a long hiatus from in-person networking, the biggest difference is that there are a lot of new faces in the crowd. Many of the people that used to attend nearly every business event seem to have retired, changed jobs or otherwise moved on during the pandemic.
New faces are a good thing. As we reset and restart in 2023, there’s a whole new generation coming up through the workforce. Think about the theory of “weak networking” — essentially this means the more people you meet who are less tightly connected to those you already know, the more likely they are to lead you to an entirely new set of business prospects. With that in mind, you can expand your network and prospects with our 100 People to Meet in 2023 feature, which contains some new and interesting people you should get to know better.
We’re also proud this month to feature Jim McGlothlin as our 2022 Virginia Business Person of the Year. (Read December 2022 cover story.) McGlothlin’s business acumen, accomplishments and philanthropy are legendary. They are the stuff that great stories are made of, making him exactly the kind of person you’d like to meet.
As 2022 draws to a close, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank all our readers and advertisers for the outsized role each of you plays in the economic success of the commonwealth. Because of you, business is better for all of us!
Title: President (sadly, the title came with neither a scepter nor a cape) and shareholder
Other legal specialties: Comedy … or not. Construction law encompasses construction defects, professional design liability, bond claims and public contracts.
Education: Bachelor’s degree, William & Mary; law degree, George Mason University
Family: Wife Amy Miles Kowalski (the smarter Kowalski lawyer at PLDR) and our four wonderful kids: Kate (22, W&M alumna), Lily (20, junior at Christopher Newport University), Evie (18, freshman at Central Virginia Community College) and Graham (15, high school sophomore)
Career mentors: Bob Watt, Carter Reid and Kathy Barnes at Watt Tieder Hoffar & Fitzgerald LLP and Jim Richards and Ed Dawson at PLDR. Each has provided wonderful examples and sage guidance in my (gulp) 27-year legal career.
Fan of: Tennis (playing and watching my son play) and running our 5-acre “farmlet” (gardens, chickens)
First jobs: Yard man/handy man (self-employed), Kings Island Restaurant (Lynchburg) busboy
What recent developments in Virginia construction and contracts law have changed the field? The last five years have seen a great deal more construction-related legislation than I can recall from my earlier career — the addition of a statute of limitations on state work, restrictions on waivers of lien rights, wage-theft bills and, most recently, restrictions on
pay-if-paid provisions.
What drew you to construction law? I worked construction jobs on summer and other breaks and decided to combine that interest with my interest in law. Through the kind efforts of the late Judge Terry Ney, I was able to start my construction law career at Watt Tieder.
Launched in cooperation with the Virginia Bar Association in 2000, Virginia Business’ Legal Elite polls lawyers licensed to practice in Virginia each year, asking them to identify which of their peers are the top attorneys across 20 categories of legal specialties.
In compiling the Legal Elite, Virginia Business contacted more than 14,000 attorneys and more than 50 law firms, directing them to a balloting website, which was available only during the annual voting period.
This year’s Legal Elite categories include a total of 1,431 lawyers, 25.3% of the 5,649 attorneys who were nominated by their peers this year. Attorneys cast 1,670 ballots, making 28,474 separate votes across all 20 legal specialty categories.
Virginia Business also profiles a representative from each legal category.
The 18 attorneys who have appeared in all 23 editions are listed. Ten are from Central Virginia, while five are based in Hampton Roads and three are in Northern Virginia. Notably, this year saw two long-term honorees fall off the list due to their retirements: Conrad M. Shumadine with Willcox & Savage PC in Norfolk and Ralph M. Tener with McCandlish Lillard PC in Fairfax.
Two firms are well-represented in this list of 23-year honorees, with three attorneys each. Willcox & Savage has Allan G. Donn, William M. Furr and Thomas G. Johnson Jr. Williams Mullen also has three long-term honorees: William D. Bayliss and Calvin W. “Woody” Fowler Jr., who are based in Richmond, and Thomas R. Frantz, the firm’s chairman emeritus, in Virginia Beach.
The long haul: The 18 lawyers who have made the list every year since 2000
Smart growth:At 100, Gentry Locke sticks to its ideals
Click on category to see complete list and profile.
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